What to do if you breakdown on the motorway
Breaking down on other roads
While not as immediately hazardous as motorways, breaking down on other roads, especially narrow or country roads, can still be dangerous.
Preparing for a breakdown
While it isn’t possible to prepare for all types of breakdown, there are a few things you can do to help should the time come:
What to do if you don’t have breakdown cover
There are a couple of options available to you should you have a vehicle failure and don’t have breakdown cover:
The first option is to phone a local garage to try and fix your vehicle at the side of the road or tow it back for repairs. The call out charges will vary, but you should expect to pay around £40 for the call out and around £2 for every mile you are towed. However, this does not include the cost of parts and labour, so it can be a costly option as well as a timely one if you are far away from the nearest garage.
If you happen to breakdown on the motorway, then it may not be possible to locate a garage nearby. This could result in having to call the highways agency to tow you to a local garage, which comes with a much higher call out cost of £105 minimum.
You can also arrange breakdown cover on the spot. Almost all breakdown cover providers will charge an additional one-off fee for emergency cover, usually between £70 and £90, and will likely charge an excess fee too.
The benefit of this option is that you will then be automatically covered under the policy and a roadside engineer will be sent out to you as quickly as possible, or a tow vehicle will be arranged to take you to the nearest garage. You will also be covered for any future issues under the terms of the policy.
Though this may prove to be the most cost-efficient solution over all, it is best to make sure you have breakdown cover already in place to avoid unnecessary stress and costs should the unfortunate happen.
Compare breakdown cover
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